The Knicks Defense Won't Get Over The Hump Without Shump

Even without Joe Johnson, the Hawks are as dangerous as the Nets. Jeff Teague can get hot and when Jared Jeffries in not on Josh Smith, he can go ballistic. Shumpert is as much a reason for the playing personality on defense as anyone outside of Tyson Chandler. As a matter of factorial reference, while nearly everyone kvetches over offense - it the the D E F E N S E which defines our new Knicks.

Shumpert has played a huge role in defending everyone from Deron Williams to Dirk. Yes, he doubled down on Dirk at times. Add his name to the defensive glue that holds it down in close games... along with Jeffries, Chandler and even Steve Novak - who has been respectable. Jeremy Lin's seven rebounds on Monday is just another indication of his willingness to mix it up inside. Gotta love it.

Two games. Which brings us to Miami on Thursday.

Without Shump to put on Wade, and Bill Walker's propensity for uneven play (provided he is available), to put it bluntly - we are screwed.

Bosh and Tyson play to a standstill.
Lebron kills Amar'e. It won't be pretty unless Stoudemire finds The Fountain of Yoot.
Jared Jeffries, paging Jared Jeffries... please pick up the orange courtesy phone...

Fuggeabout what any narrow minded writers say about meshing on offense. Carmelo Anthony has an opportunity to earn some Oakley points on defense, first and foremost. How many people dapped up Melo for diving on the floor after loose balls on Monday? Not many.

Wade is a handful for Landry Fields, or anyone else for that matter.
When Miami brings Norris Cole off the bench, Jeremy may already be so exhausted that Baron Davis must play extended minutes.

Get well soon Shump. We understand your knees have been barking all season. We feel your pain. We need you.

"The possible solution is to play Melo at the 4 in a quasi-small-ball lineup that includes Lin, Chandler, (Novak/ Fields) at SF and one of either Smith or Shumpert at SG (depending on what you need). Melo isn’t Marion. He does certain things way better and other things not nearly as well. But that lineup would surround the Lin/Chandler pick and roll with 3 players who can stretch the defense and are capable of finishing or creating plays. It would turn Melo into a screener in a pick-your-poison-pick-and-roll that could be absolutely devastating (we saw a little bit of it’s potential last night). And it would match Melo up against other 4s who have virtually no chance of keeping up with him.

The lineup also has potential ancillary benefits on defense, where Amar’e has devolved into a chiseled statue and doesn’t help consistently on the defensive boards. Effectively, the starting lineup would improve defensively at two positions.

The drawbacks to this plan are both glaring and disturbing in equal parts. It sends a $20 million superstar player to the bench and relegates one of the best scorers of his era to afterthought status. The fallout from a move like that could tear the team apart."

I badly want to believe that Amar’e, coming off a back injury and bereavement leave, can find his way in an offense he knows so well with a PG that suits his game and start punishing defenses the way we’ve been accustomed to seeing over his superstar career. But I’m starting to think it’s not going to happen due to what’s looking like decline in ability and also being asked to sacrifice his game in ways that only detract from it and rarely allow him to do the things that have made him so great.

In addition, Melo may not relish playing an undersized 4. On offense, as much as his quickness and skill offer an advantage against power forwards, his size gives an edge against 3s. His game has always been built on his ability to take smaller defenders apart from the mid-post, an option that would no longer be available to him for large stretches of the game. On defense, teams would likely take him down on the block and look to punish him physically. Anthony’s already shown a propensity for getting nicked up.

- Jon, Knicks Fan Blog

misterearl wrote:Two Games

The Knicks Defense Won't Get Over The Hump Without Shump

Even without Joe Johnson, the Hawks are as dangerous as the Nets. Jeff Teague can get hot and when Jared Jeffries in not on Josh Smith, he can go ballistic. Shumpert is as much a reason for the playing personality on defense as anyone outside of Tyson Chandler. As a matter of factorial reference, while nearly everyone kvetches over offense - it the the D E F E N S E which defines our new Knicks.

Shumpert has played a huge role in defending everyone from Deron Williams to Dirk. Yes, he doubled down on Dirk at times. Add his name to the defensive glue that holds it down in close games... along with Jeffries, Chandler and even Steve Novak - who has been respectable. Jeremy Lin's seven rebounds on Monday is just another indication of his willingness to mix it up inside. Gotta love it.

Two games. Which brings us to Miami on Thursday.

Without Shump to put on Wade, and Bill Walker's propensity for uneven play (provided he is available), to put it bluntly - we are screwed.

Bosh and Tyson play to a standstill.
Lebron kills Amar'e. It won't be pretty unless Stoudemire finds The Fountain of Yoot.
Jared Jeffries, paging Jared Jeffries... please pick up the orange courtesy phone...

Fuggeabout what any narrow minded writers say about meshing on offense. Carmelo Anthony has an opportunity to earn some Oakley points on defense, first and foremost. How many people dapped up Melo for diving on the floor after loose balls on Monday? Not many.

Wade is a handful for Landry Fields, or anyone else for that matter.
When Miami brings Norris Cole off the bench, Jeremy may already be so exhausted that Baron Davis must play extended minutes.

Get well soon Shump. We understand your knees have been barking all season. We feel your pain. We need you.

One thing I disagree with is that Bron will kill Amar'e... Melo is a pretty dang good Bron matchup for this team. I don't think we beat the Heat without Shump (guessing he rests until after the All-Star break), but Melo on Bron will not be the reason.

misterearl wrote:Solving Problems and Creating New Ones: Melo at Power Forward

"The possible solution is to play Melo at the 4 in a quasi-small-ball lineup that includes Lin, Chandler, (Novak/ Fields) at SF and one of either Smith or Shumpert at SG (depending on what you need). Melo isn’t Marion. He does certain things way better and other things not nearly as well. But that lineup would surround the Lin/Chandler pick and roll with 3 players who can stretch the defense and are capable of finishing or creating plays. It would turn Melo into a screener in a pick-your-poison-pick-and-roll that could be absolutely devastating (we saw a little bit of it’s potential last night). And it would match Melo up against other 4s who have virtually no chance of keeping up with him.

The lineup also has potential ancillary benefits on defense, where Amar’e has devolved into a chiseled statue and doesn’t help consistently on the defensive boards. Effectively, the starting lineup would improve defensively at two positions.

The drawbacks to this plan are both glaring and disturbing in equal parts. It sends a $20 million superstar player to the bench and relegates one of the best scorers of his era to afterthought status. The fallout from a move like that could tear the team apart."

I badly want to believe that Amar’e, coming off a back injury and bereavement leave, can find his way in an offense he knows so well with a PG that suits his game and start punishing defenses the way we’ve been accustomed to seeing over his superstar career. But I’m starting to think it’s not going to happen due to what’s looking like decline in ability and also being asked to sacrifice his game in ways that only detract from it and rarely allow him to do the things that have made him so great.

In addition, Melo may not relish playing an undersized 4. On offense, as much as his quickness and skill offer an advantage against power forwards, his size gives an edge against 3s. His game has always been built on his ability to take smaller defenders apart from the mid-post, an option that would no longer be available to him for large stretches of the game. On defense, teams would likely take him down on the block and look to punish him physically. Anthony’s already shown a propensity for getting nicked up.

- Jon, Knicks Fan Blog

Melo should stay at SF defensively, but should play alongside a stretch-4 so he can play PF on offense and stay in the mid range game. That would be the best solution if we were to go this route.

crzymdups wrote:i don't get the idea people have that Steve Super NOVA(k) is a small forward. the guy is clearly a stretch 4. he's done okay defending against 4s and i can't even conceive of him guarding a SF.

i think Jorts or Super Nova(k) could be the stretch 4 you mention, knixkik. and i agree melo should stay at the 3 defensively.

Novak could be a very good stretch 4, similar to ryan anderson. It is just a shame he doesn't rebound or defend well at all. The ideal supporting cast for a core of lin, melo, and chandler would involve 2 top shooters at the PF and SG. Obviously we will try to fit Stat in first though. Really need a shooter in the lineup to balance things out though.

Knixkik wrote:

crzymdups wrote:i don't get the idea people have that Steve Super NOVA(k) is a small forward. the guy is clearly a stretch 4. he's done okay defending against 4s and i can't even conceive of him guarding a SF.

i think Jorts or Super Nova(k) could be the stretch 4 you mention, knixkik. and i agree melo should stay at the 3 defensively.

Novak could be a very good stretch 4, similar to ryan anderson. It is just a shame he doesn't rebound or defend well at all. The ideal supporting cast for a core of lin, melo, and chandler would involve 2 top shooters at the PF and SG. Obviously we will try to fit Stat in first though. Really need a shooter in the lineup to balance things out though.

JR smith will need to continue making the case for starting at SG.

loweyecue wrote:JR smith will need to continue making the case for starting at SG.

“We’re two different players,” Fields said of Smith, adding that he was not worried about how they will co-exist on the court. “He can knock down shots. I can drive and find him the ball. I think we complement each other, actually."

Fields ignited the offense last night. His 39" vertical was on full display again as he hooped and swooped. When Fields gets into the paint I can hear Bill Walton exhorting him, "throw it down big man... throw it DOWN..."

Long live the BBC.

misterearl wrote:Solving Problems and Creating New Ones: Melo at Power Forward

"The possible solution is to play Melo at the 4 in a quasi-small-ball lineup that includes Lin, Chandler, (Novak/ Fields) at SF and one of either Smith or Shumpert at SG (depending on what you need). Melo isn’t Marion. He does certain things way better and other things not nearly as well. But that lineup would surround the Lin/Chandler pick and roll with 3 players who can stretch the defense and are capable of finishing or creating plays. It would turn Melo into a screener in a pick-your-poison-pick-and-roll that could be absolutely devastating (we saw a little bit of it’s potential last night). And it would match Melo up against other 4s who have virtually no chance of keeping up with him.

The lineup also has potential ancillary benefits on defense, where Amar’e has devolved into a chiseled statue and doesn’t help consistently on the defensive boards. Effectively, the starting lineup would improve defensively at two positions.

The drawbacks to this plan are both glaring and disturbing in equal parts. It sends a $20 million superstar player to the bench and relegates one of the best scorers of his era to afterthought status. The fallout from a move like that could tear the team apart."

I badly want to believe that Amar’e, coming off a back injury and bereavement leave, can find his way in an offense he knows so well with a PG that suits his game and start punishing defenses the way we’ve been accustomed to seeing over his superstar career. But I’m starting to think it’s not going to happen due to what’s looking like decline in ability and also being asked to sacrifice his game in ways that only detract from it and rarely allow him to do the things that have made him so great.

In addition, Melo may not relish playing an undersized 4. On offense, as much as his quickness and skill offer an advantage against power forwards, his size gives an edge against 3s. His game has always been built on his ability to take smaller defenders apart from the mid-post, an option that would no longer be available to him for large stretches of the game. On defense, teams would likely take him down on the block and look to punish him physically. Anthony’s already shown a propensity for getting nicked up.

- Jon, Knicks Fan Blog